Steelers Great Ben Roethlisberger Still Worries About Pittsburgh's Offense: "I Just Want To Pump The Brakes"

The Pittsburgh Steelers started the 2024 season with Justin Fields under center since Russell Wilson was sidelined with a calf injury. Fields took the Steelers to 4-2, and most media members and fans were satisfied with the fact that they were winning. The general consensus was how much better could a 35-year-old quarterback who isn't mobile be? The answer apparently is a lot. 

Wilson was finally healthy and took over for Fields for the Week 7 game against the New York Jets, and the offense seemed transformed. While it took Wilson a little bit to shake the rust off, once he did, he spread the ball out among his receivers and the field. Suddenly, the Black and Gold are playing with a balanced offense.  

The team isn't playing perfect football. There are still some areas that are concerning, like the run defense and Broderick Jones on the offensive line, but it is outperforming most preseason expectations. They are currently 6-2 and sit alone atop the AFC North as they head into their bye week before they face the Washington Commanders in Week 10. 

However, all of that surprising success and offensive improvement isn't enough to win the full respect of former Steelers quarterback and future Hall of Famer Ben Roethlisberger. On a recent episode of his podcast, Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger, which followed the win over the New York Giants, Roethlisberger said that he isn't ready to proclaim this offense is really good. 

"I do want to throw this caution flag out there," said Roethlisberger. "We do have to be a little bit more understanding of how good are the defenses we have played so far? They've been down some DBs. They've been thin in the secondary. What's going to happen when, all of a sudden, we play a team that's got a really good secondary? That's got a great pass rush? Van Jefferson stepped up great last night for the team. I think that was huge. You've got to have guys that step up and make plays to help fill the void. So you know, I just want to pump the brakes a little bit because we don't know what we're going to get when we face a really good defense."

Roethlisberger said that he feels those potentially better defenses can double-team their best wide receiver, George Pickens, or find some creative coverage for Calvin Austin III. He added that he hopes that by the time the Steelers face that defense, they will have worked out more of their "kinks" and that Wilson will be playing even better. 

This sounds like moving the goalposts (pardon the pun), for the offense. Before Wilson took over the offense, the constant caveat to Fields' wins was that his offense hadn't faced a significant defense. The fact that the Jets' defense was a step up from what they had seen before was even used as a reason for the switch to Wilson. When Wilson beat the Jets, the media said they had a banged-up defense, and the Giants would be a real test. Now that the Steelers have triumphed over the Giants, they again hear it wasn't a strong defense.  

Based on the rankings through Week 8, the Steelers won't face another top-10 defense until they play the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 15. However, by that same ranking, the Jets come in fourth.  

The Steelers' Defense Is Facing Its Own Critics

The Steelers have the highest-paid defense in the NFL, and according to Fox Sports, they currently rank ninth overall. However, that doesn't mean everyone is happy with their performance against the Giants. 

They allowed Giants' running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. to rush for 145 yards in their recent matchup. When asked about this, Defensive Line Coach Karl Dunbar said he wasn't worried about how the players felt about it. He said they better be worried about his thoughts, and he's unhappy. 

Do you agree with Roethlisberger? Have the Steelers not faced a good defense yet? Click to comment below. 

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